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In memory of Mary Esther Kieranen, 64, a resident of Twin Lakes (Toivola, Michigan), who died unexpectedly at home early Thursday morning, May 15, 2025.
Mary was born March 24, 1961, as the daughter of Benhart and Esther Kieranen of Mass, Michigan. After her family moved to Twin Lakes a few years later, Mary attended the Winona Elementary School within Elm River Township. Upon graduation from classes kindergarten through the 8th grade, she attended Jeffers High School in Painesdale, Michigan, graduating with the class of 1980. Following high school, Mary attended Gogebic Community College in Ironwood, Michigan. There she studied graphic arts and design, graduating with an associate degree in her class of 1982.
After college, Mary returned home to Twin Lakes where she assisted her family at Twin Lakes Resort, her parents’ seasonal cottage rental business. In the off seasons, Mary enjoyed helping others while doing a variety of things including babysitting for local families, home cleaning and maintenance including painting and refinishing antique wood furniture.
Mary was very creative. She enjoyed arts and crafts, producing artistic drawings and paintings including outdoor scenes. Despite her need for hearing aids, she had both talent and ear for music, learning to play the piano during grade school.
Mary also became an Avon products representative, driving door to door to call on and visit her local area customers, further including Mass, Greenland, and the countryside’s of Ontonagon and Houghton counties. In 2010 she received a Certificate of Achievement from Avon for 25 Years of Service. Mary made many friends and acquaintances throughout all her activities, including meeting visitors and making life-long friends with guests at the family resort business. Throughout the years, Mary was a member of the 1st Lutheran Church of Winona, which is associated with St. Paul’s Lutheran Church of Mass, Michigan.
Mary was always easy-going, pleasant, and kind and thoughtful of others. She loved her various cats and dogs throughout her life, and was dedicated to her family, friends, and others that she met throughout her journey of life and various activities while befriending and helping others. She had a beautiful smile once she got her braces removed. Mary was known to share her great sense of cleverness and talent for humor. At times, even managing to cause people to laugh heartily, and sometimes uncontrollably with her wit during an otherwise serious situation.
Mary’s kindness was always offered and freely given to others. This was beyond the fact that Mary was born with serious health issues and physical birth defects that affected the normal development and maturity of her physical body which brought challenges to her life. Mary’s physical condition and concerns began well before she was born. It is suspected and likely that a once-common medication to reduce the effects of nausea (Thalidomide) had been prescribed to her mother Esther while she was Mary Esther Kieranen_Final Obituary 6-6-2025_1018am pregnant with Mary. This temporary medication was likely a significant factor in affecting Mary’s normal physical development and growth, contributing to her life-long disabilities and ongoing physical concerns throughout her life.
When Mary was born, and at a very young age, she underwent a series of substantially successful corrective surgeries at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. As she grew up, and throughout her entire life, she endured several serious health episodes, including stays at hospitals in Marquette, MI and Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. In each case, and with the help of medical professionals, she pulled through, displaying her life-dong determination and spirit to recover, and overcome, as best she could, occasional pain, suffering, and disadvantages from the effects of Klippel-Feil Syndrome (KFS) with which she was born with. Her condition was likely caused by the once prescribed Thalidomide medication of the 1960’s.
Mary truly had, what the people of Finnish heritage refer to, as “SISU” (a type of stubborn determination to overcome difficulty) and she managed to live a relatively full, loving, and productive life. She will be greatly missed by her loving family and friends alike.
Surviving immediate family members are Mary’s brother, Carl Kieranen, Twin Lakes-Toivola, MI, nephews Ben Kieranen, Twin Lakes-Toivola, MI, and Brandon Kieranen, Ann Arbor, MI. Cousins Susie (Laiti) Montgomery, Zion, Illinois, Bill “Heikki” Laiti, Santa Rosa, California, and Linda (Laiti) Fergeson, Shreveport, Louisiana.
Mary never married. She was preceded in death by her late grandparents Charles (Carl) and Fanny Laiti, John and Senia Kieranen, father and mother Benhart and Esther Kieranen, infant brother Robert Kieranen, and uncles William “Trapper Bill” Kieranen, William, Edward, and Eino Laiti, all of Mass, Michigan.
Mary’s life-long intentions included doing what she could to lend a hand to others as she could. Because of this her wishes extended to others, potentially anywhere, having similar life-long birth defects of any kind, and especially those associated with Klippel-Feil Syndrome (KFS). According to Mary’s wishes, her remains have been honorably donated for the purpose of ongoing forensic medical analysis and professional research.
The Center for Forensic Science at Northern Michigan University (NMU), Marquette, Michigan, has graciously accepted Mary’s remains through the Center for Forensic Science Body Donation Program. Through this special program her remains and medical history are available for study by various fields of medical research, research specialists, and universities, upon formal requests to NMU.
Mary lived a full life and was greatly loved by her family and friends throughout. A celebration of Mary’s life may be planned, to be announced later.
To view Mary’s obituary or to send condolences to the family please visit www.memorialchapel.net.
The Memorial Chapel Funeral & Cremation Service – Mt. View Chapel of South Range has been assisting the family with the arrangements
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